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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27437701">Say Yes To The Dress: Citadel - Bridesmaids Edition</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/faithlessone/pseuds/faithlessone'>faithlessone</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Say Yes To The Dress [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Say Yes to the Dress Fusion, F/M, Fluff, Weddings, bridesmaids - Freeform, just fluff, little bit cracky, seriously</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 01:47:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,284</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27437701</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/faithlessone/pseuds/faithlessone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The sequel to my "Say Yes To The Dress: Citadel" fic that literally no one asked for, but exists anyway. Shepard returns to Kleinfeld's and gets ambushed by her bridesmaids (and a couple of unexpected extras!!)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kaidan Alenko/Female Shepard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Say Yes To The Dress [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2004532</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Say Yes To The Dress: Citadel - Bridesmaids Edition</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/oOAchilliaOo/gifts">oOAchilliaOo</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I never intended to actually post this, to be honest. It was written last November in a fit of NaNoWriMo fever, and then put in a folder and forgotten about, until a couple of months ago when I remembered it existed, and sent it to my darling best friend. She told me it was awesome, so I polished it up a bit and, well... here it is.<br/>Please read the first one before you read this, because I'm not sure the concept will make a WHOLE lot of sense without it, and anyway, in the first one, you get to read Shepard trying on wedding dresses.<br/>This is <em>technically</em> part of a rather epic length Soulmates AU that has not been published and will likely not be published until it's finished, which... well... might happen? Maybe? One day?<br/>The only thing you really need to know for this is that the character "Bex" (or Rebecca Whitson, to give her her full name!) is a character I invented for that AU. She is one of Kaidan's closest friends, and, having been stationed on Earth during the Battle of London, grows almost as close to Shepard during her recovery. My mental picture of her is Tatiana Maslany, if that helps.<br/>(Oh, and yes, the designer at the end is Space!Christian Siriano. ♥ )<br/>Hope you enjoy!!!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For the second time in a far too short space of time, she gazes up at the most imposing entrance in the fanciest of the Citadel shopping districts. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Adora had insisted, and then Miranda had pleaded, and then (when even that wasn’t enough) Mrs Alenko had asked (using the dreaded ‘disappointed face’), she wouldn’t be here.</p><p>“Lighten up, Shepard.” Miranda’s smile is just a little too bright beside her. “Last time wasn’t so bad, was it? Practically easy.”</p><p>She turns a glare towards the former operative. “Easy?”</p><p>“You only tried on six dresses, Shepard.”</p><p>“Right? Six! That’s a <em>lot</em> of dresses! Fairly sure that’s more dresses than I’ve ever tried on before. Put together.”</p><p>Miranda laughs, only a little incredulous, wrapping her hand around Shepard’s wrist and pulling her toward the door.</p><p>“Welcome to Kleinfeld,” greets the receptionist, her eyes on the terminal in front of her. That same receptionist who had been there the first time, as it happens. Her look of panic returns as soon as she looks up, pressing a button on the terminal so hard Shepard is certain she’s probably broken it. “Commander Shepard! Welcome! The consultant will be right with you.”</p><p>“Darla?”</p><p>The receptionist’s eyes, if possible, grow even wider and more afraid.</p><p>“Darla works in the bridal sales department, Shep,” Miranda explains, softly, like she’s talking to a small, stupid child. “We’re heading upstairs today.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>She isn’t sure whether this a good thing or not. Better the devil you know and all that.</p><p>Miranda continues. “Are the… others here?”</p><p>The receptionist, her fact still a mask of actual and genuine terror, shakes her head. Her finger, still hovering over the button, stabs at it a few more times.</p><p>“We’ll take a seat, okay?” Miranda says, leading Shepard away from the desk and the terrified receptionist, towards a collection of padded sofas in the most offensively inoffensive shade of pink imaginable.</p><p>“I still don’t understand why anyone else needs to come,” Shepard says, sitting down but trying to keep an eye on the door, the receptionist and Miranda all at the same time. “Or why I have to be here at all. The one they made the first time fit fine. And you know my measurements better than I do.”</p><p>“See, that’s the thing…” Miranda is using that tone again. That ‘you’re going to be mad at me but I’m doing this for your own good’ voice that she usually uses for meetings with the wedding planners and uncomfortable medical tests. “It’s not… a fitting. Well, I mean, we are going to do a fitting, that’s just convenient, but that’s not the only reason we’re here.”</p><p>“Miranda, I swear to god…”</p><p>“The first episode tested so well with the focus group! The Alliance were thrilled, positive opinion is going to go through the roof when it finally airs, after the actual wedding of course, so it just made sense to…”</p><p>“Miranda, get to the point or, so help me, I’m going to shoot you.”</p><p>She raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Oh, yes? With what?”</p><p>Oops, that was supposed to be a secret. Miranda had again insisted that she come to the salon unarmed, and had even attempted to frisk her before leaving the apartment, but one shopping trip (and surprise appearance of her mother) unarmed had been more than enough. She has a couple of Kasumi’s preferred stealth weapons secreted about her person.</p><p>Not that <em>Miranda</em> needs to know that.</p><p>“You think I wouldn’t be able to find a weapon in the next five minutes if I was motivated enough?”</p><p>Miranda shrugs.</p><p>“So, get to the point.”</p><p>“You remember two weeks ago when I tried to force you to narrow down your bridesmaid options?”</p><p>“And I told you that you were my maid of honour and made that one of your jobs?”</p><p>She frowns. “And I refused and told you that, and I quote ‘you can’t make everything you don’t want to do, my job’?”</p><p>“I’m pretty sure I can. Isn’t that what being a bride is for? Making your friends do stuff you don’t want to? I should make some kind of card…”</p><p>“Shepard.”</p><p>“Miranda.”</p><p>“Anyway, because you kept refusing, I had to pick anyway. We’re on a deadline, Shepard.”</p><p>“I still don’t understand.”</p><p>“You filmed the episode of Say Yes to the Dress, and as I said, it was received really well by the focus group. But Kaidan’s just wearing his dress blues, do they couldn’t exactly make a Say Sure to the Suit or something.” She sounds a little bitter about this. “The producers reminded Adora that there was a companion series, once upon a time. It wasn’t as popular, so it wasn’t distributed as heavily as the original, but it would work for this situation. And well, the release you signed included a proviso for supplementary footage as necessary, so…” She trails off, suggestively.</p><p>“You’re making me do another episode? What’s this got to do with bridesmaids… Oh.”</p><p>The realisation dawns just as a bell chimes, signalling the door opening. There, just as she’d feared, is Adora, with a group of women, all of whom she recognises.</p><p>“I am going to kill you,” she says. And then, when she registers just who is stood there, with a grin, “If <em>Jack</em> doesn’t do it first.”</p><p>*</p><p>Crammed onto another offensively inoffensive pink sofa in the upstairs showroom of the bridal salon, are probably the most unlikely group who have ever sat there, Shepard thinks, as she regards them all, contemplatively.</p><p>The consultant, another irritatingly peppy woman (though this time thankfully not related to her wedding planner) gives her an encouraging smile.</p><p>“Hi, I’m Lilac, and I’ll be your consultant today!” she says, brightly. “Now, I think I know who my bride is, don’t I?”</p><p>Shepard is so tempted to deny it, but Adora is standing on the other side of the room giving her a death glare that rivals the one that she remembers from a certain drill sergeant she had in basic training. It’s certainly giving her the same fear for her life.</p><p>“That would be me, yes,” she admits, forcing a smile that’s only <em>slightly</em> sarcastic.</p><p>“And who are my bridesmaids? So many lovely ladies here!”</p><p>Miranda, Tali and Kaidan’s surrogate-sister Bex get to their feet immediately. Jack and Kasumi stay sat, which… is a little confusing.</p><p>“I’m just here for moral support. And fashion tips,” Kasumi says.</p><p>“And Jack wasn’t invited,” Miranda adds, with a honey-sweet smile.</p><p>Shepard frowns at Jack, who takes advantage of the vacated space on the sofa to lounge comfortably against the arm, her leg stretched out and propped against Kasumi’s thigh.</p><p>“Sounded like fun.”</p><p>Lilac’s smile slips, just a little, though whether she’s concerned about the women still on the sofa, or the fact she’s going to have to figure out how to put a quarian in a bridesmaid’s dress, Shepard’s not sure.</p><p>“And what are we looking for?” she asks, brightly.</p><p>“Red,” Adora says, firmly, before anyone else can get a word in. “Bright red.”</p><p>“Short or long? Material? Silhouette? Neckline? Sleeves?”</p><p>Shepard sits back, waiting for Miranda to answer, but Lilac’s questions seem to be directed at her instead. Which wasn’t part of the deal at all.</p><p>“Make ‘em try them all,” she says.</p><p>Though she means it to be a punishment, Bex’s eyes light up, Miranda shoots her a smile, and even Tali looks excited.</p><p>Damn.</p><p>*</p><p>Lilac comes out first, holding a sheaf of fabric samples, all in various shades of red, from scarlet to crimson.</p><p>“We don’t have every style in every colour here, of course, we’d have to take over the whole presidium if we did,” she laughs, only a touch nervously, handing the fabric samples to Shepard. “But these are all the current shades of red that the dresses come in. And of course, for our extra special clients, custom dyes can be created!”</p><p>Kasumi removes the samples from Shepard’s hands, running them between her own fingers. Though how she can feel the texture through the gloves she habitually wears, Shepard has no idea.</p><p>“First up, we have Miranda!” Lilac continues.</p><p>As promised, Miranda emerges from the dressing room area, in a gown that is… <em>suspiciously</em> similar to the wedding dress she had picked out for Shepard on the previous trip.</p><p>“This is a floor length, one-shouldered gown in chiffon and matte satin, with a side slit and ruffle detail,” Lilac narrates with a nervous smile as Miranda steps up onto the long runway that runs down the centre of the room. “Very easy to move in, very comfortable, don’t you agree?”</p><p>Miranda doesn’t say a word, watching Shepard’s face with a slight, knowing smile.</p><p>Not that Shepard really cares.</p><p>“A little dull, no?” Kasumi says, and once again, though Shepard’s fairly sure she hadn’t actually seen the thief move, she has three sparkly belts, a pile of bracelets and necklaces, and even a tiara in front of her.</p><p>“All righty, then, how about this? Bex?”</p><p>Bex strides out and steps up beside Miranda.</p><p>“Bex is wearing a boat-neck, high-low dress in shiny satin, with…” she trails off, gesturing for Bex to turn around. “Bow detail in the back!”</p><p>Jack almost falls off the sofa, she’s laughing so hard, and Shepard is right there with her. The largest bow she has ever seen is placed right above Bex’s ass, covering half her back.</p><p>“No,” Shepard declares. “I can’t get married if I can’t stop laughing every time they turn around.”</p><p>Lilac looks momentarily dismayed, and then brightens up again. “No more bows. That’s something! Now, for Tali…” She hesitates. “We’re still… figuring her out. This is only a concept. We don’t have much experience with quarians, but it’s nice to have a challenge!”</p><p>The quarian in question steps out from the dressing room, gingerly making her way onto the runway.</p><p>It’s… a look.</p><p>An oversized… something, is draped… around her, over the suit.</p><p>If it was ever a dress, it’s clearly much, <em>much</em> too big for her, more like a tent made of netting, swamping her, with yet more netting covering her headscarf. The whole thing is secured in various places with large, unwieldy clips, shaped like clusters of red artificial flowers.</p><p>“It’s only a concept,” Lilac repeats, obviously noting the disapproving and confused looks from those still left on the sofas.</p><p>But surprisingly, the first vocal condemnation comes from… Jack.</p><p>“She looks <em>ridiculous</em>, what were you thinking?”</p><p>Lilac’s face begins to tremble, her smile vanishing, and she repeats her mantra a third time. “It’s only a <em>concept</em>. We used a plus size chiffon tulle gown, and a matching scarf… The flower pins are just there to give shape, they wouldn’t be part of the final look!”</p><p>“It’s not so bad, Jack,” Tali insists, wringing her hands slightly in front of her.</p><p>Jack gets to her feet, crossing to the runway, and grabs a handful of the voluminous tulle swimming around Tali’s legs.</p><p>“Mind if I rip this?” she says.</p><p>Lilac darts forward. “No, please, that’s really…”</p><p>The sound of ripping fabric cuts her off, and she looks to Adora with panic in her eyes. Behind her Shepard hears the sound of one of the camera-people whispering “do we keep filming?” to another.</p><p>Adora strides forwards, blocking the cameras.</p><p>“Ms Nought, what do you think you’re doing?” she hisses, her voice tripping past her usual sweet-with-a-hint-of-threat and straight to acid-spitting-fury.</p><p>“Fixing this!” Jack spits back, a hint of biotic blue flaring in her eyes.</p><p>Miranda steps backward, off the runway and behind Bex. A wise move, in Shepard’s opinion. Their relationship is much improved since the days of the Cerberus SR2, but they are still not anything approaching friendly. And Jack in a spitting acid mood is more likely to <em>Throw</em> down than listen to her.</p><p>At the same time, Shepard gets up, and comes forwards. She takes Adora by the arm, carefully but firmly pulling the wedding planner behind her. She doubts the Alliance give their PR department the kind of combat training she’d need for this situation.</p><p>“Jack, maybe we don’t need to antagonise the nice people just doing their jobs? Especially in front of the cameras?”</p><p>Her eyes, still glowing slightly, scan over towards Lilac, who looks on the verge of tears, then at the camera people, still exchanging worried glances, and then back at Tali, who is standing incredibly still, almost curling in on herself inside the now-ripped tent of tulle.</p><p>“She looks fucking <em>ridiculous</em>, Shepard. Why am I the only one who’s angry about this?”</p><p>“I agree! But maybe instead of tearing the dress up, you could just… I don’t know, suggest something else?”</p><p>“We could get a designer in here, if you like?” Lilac’s voice is shaking and her eyes are still doing that wide, wet thing. But she has an encouraging smile on her face. “To sketch something better?”</p><p>“Sounds like a plan,” Kasumi pipes up. She now has an even bigger pile of sparkly objects in front of her.</p><p>Jack releases the grip she still has on Tali’s dress, shaking out her arms. Little flashes of blue roll down her skin, the biotic energy dissipating off of her. She rolls her shoulders, holding up her hands and then, pushing past Shepard and Adora, throws herself back down onto the sofa.</p><p>Adora nods somewhat gratefully at Shepard, makes a complicated gesture at the camera-people, and then goes after Lilac, who has already fled from the salon.</p><p>Shepard sinks down on the sofa.</p><p>“So… no butt bows?” Bex says, turning around and shaking said bow, in a clear attempt to lighten the situation.</p><p>Jack, to her credit, cracks another laugh. “Hell no. But Cheerleader’s isn’t bad. Let’s lose the ruffles though, right?”</p><p>Shepard had never really considered Jack as any kind of authority on… clothes, given that the outfit she had spent most of her time on the SR2 wearing was basically a pair of combat trousers and a harness, but… then again, she had never imagined that Garrus would be the one to design her wedding dress, so perhaps she doesn’t know her friends as well as she thought.</p><p>Miranda, now back on the runway, gives a sarcastic curtsey with a wide grin on her face.</p><p>“Next dress, all ruffles, just for you, Convict.”</p><p>Jack salutes her with one finger, which Miranda gladly returns. It’s not exactly a friendship, but it’s better than nothing, in Shepard’s opinion.</p><p>*</p><p>The second round of dresses is… another mixed bag. Kasumi lets out a happy squeal at Bex’s dress, and everyone, particularly Jack laughs at Miranda’s. Tali is sat on the sofa, waiting for the designer to appear, so only the two emerge from the dressing room. Together, this time.</p><p>Lilac is still a little shakier than she had been at the beginning of the session, still occasionally glancing at Jack as if she’s going to take a knife to the rest of the collection. But she pastes on a bright smile for the cameras, now rolling once more.</p><p>“So, for our second picks, Bex is in a strapless minidress in synthetic georgette, with sequin detail on the bust, and an in-built corset for shape.”</p><p>“And no butt bows,” Bex assures them, turning around.</p><p>“I like the sparkle,” Kasumi declares. “Much better. But can we add a necklace or perhaps some earrings?”</p><p>She produces a pair of earrings from her hoard that look like huge glittery tassels. Bex darts forward, squealing quietly as Kasumi helps her to put them into her ears. When she stands back up, the tassels brush her shoulders, and she pulls back her hair to better display them.</p><p>“How do I look?”</p><p>Adora tuts, quietly, and Miranda gives Bex a warning look.</p><p>“Perhaps a little tacky?” Miranda says. Then, to Lilac, “no offense.”</p><p>Lilac waves dismissively. “None taken. They are one of our more… dramatic pieces. From what you’ve told me about the aesthetic of the wedding, I don’t think they’ll really… go.” Then she straightens herself. “Anyway, Miranda is wearing an asymmetrical dress with a sweetheart neckline, and a ruffled skirt, in cherry chiffon.”</p><p>Ruffled skirt is an understatement. There must be miles of fabric to make all the ruffles that fall from her waist to the floor. It looks more like she’s standing in some kind of weird alien flower.</p><p>“You like?” Miranda says, teasing in her voice. “It’s special, just for you, Jack.”</p><p>“Next!” Jack calls out, but there’s a smile on her face.</p><p>Lilac breathes a sigh of relief, her face relaxing and her smile brightening. “We have two more options for the ladies, and then we can all spend some time working on Ms Vas Normandy’s ensemble.”</p><p>“Bring ‘em on,” Jack says. “But let’s keep the sparkly one as an option, yeah?”</p><p>*</p><p>The third round, Bex comes out first.</p><p>“Here we have a personal favourite of mine,” Lilac gushes proudly. “This is a ballerina-length, short-sleeved gown in chiffon with a beaded, crystal lace overlay.”</p><p>It’s a pretty dress, no doubt, but it’s boring. Shepard glances across at Kasumi, who, even despite the sparkle, is pretending to yawn beneath her hood. Jack, meanwhile is focused almost entirely on a tiara that she’s clearly removed from Kasumi’s treasure trove.</p><p>“Maybe… not,” Shepard says, diplomatically. “The shorter one was nicer.”</p><p>Lilac’s smile falters for just a second, but then she beams. “I think you’ll really love the next one though. We’ve saved the best for last!”</p><p>Miranda comes out of the dressing room, and it’s… a <em>look</em>. Not even in a sarcastic way.</p><p>“This is a floor-length, fit and flare, v-neck dress, in silk charmeuse, with sequin detail,” Lilac explains, enthusiastically. “It should go beautifully with your wedding dress, Commander Shepard! If you wanted the bridesmaids to be in a similar style?”</p><p>If someone had asked her two weeks ago whether she wanted the bridesmaids to be in a similar style to her wedding dress, she’d probably have laughed at them. Her dress was so perfect, so unique, so… her, that it was impossible to think that there would be a bridesmaids’ dress that would complement it. Also, she didn’t really care what the bridesmaids would be wearing to the Big Citadel Wedding.</p><p>(Her only bridesmaids at the Orchard Wedding are going to be Miranda, and Kaidan’s cousin Lilya, and they have been strongly informed to buy their own dresses, in the right shade of apple green.)</p><p>But now…</p><p>There’s just… there’s one thing that isn’t quite right.</p><p>“We can change the sequins,” Miranda jumps in, running her fingers over the tiny sparkles that spill from the waistband to cascade down the skirt. “Right?”</p><p>Lilac nods enthusiastically. “All the dresses will be handmade from scratch, so we can change anything you like. Want to raise or lower the neckline? Change the waistline? Do you like the colour? We can change that too!”</p><p>“Show her the new sequins,” Miranda says, encouragingly, grinning.</p><p>“Oh! Yes, sorry.” She pulls her hand out from behind her back, darting over to show a puddle of tiny silver and black sparkles to Shepard. Silver and black <em>star-shaped</em> sparkles.</p><p>“It’s… perfect,” Shepard says, though to no one in particular.</p><p>Jack leans over Kasumi toward her, and nods. “Throw in a few gold ones too. It’ll really play off the red.”</p><p>Everyone’s heads turn to look at her, in various shades of shock and amazement.</p><p>“What?” she says, fiercely. “I’m right!”</p><p>*</p><p>Finally, it’s Tali’s turn. The designer they have summoned is young and human, with short, tight hair, a wide smile and square rimmed glasses, and he beams brightly at Tali as he approaches her.</p><p>“Don’t you worry, darling,” he says, pulling out a datapad and sketch pen, and sitting down heavily in a chair next to her. “I’ve designed for them all. I had a beautiful turian client last week, gods, you wouldn’t even recognise her. Emphasised her waist to <em>perfection</em>, darling.”</p><p>“And quarians?” Tali asks, a little hesitant.</p><p>“Not as yet, darling, no. No actual models, but I always long for something different, something new, darling. You’re going to be the star of my next look book, don’t you know! I’m seeing a new Fall collection with exclusively non-humanoid models. I want quarians! I want turians! I want salarians! Do you know any krogans? I’ve been simply itching to design something for you all, don’t you know, darling, simply <em>itching</em>!”</p><p>He flicks the hem of his cape over the edge of the chair, pulling up several sketches of quarian body-shapes on his datapad.</p><p>“We’re working with fit and flare, aren’t we, darling?”</p><p>Miranda, now redressed in her own clothes, the sample gown displayed on a mannequin on the runway, nods. “That one, there.”</p><p>The designer regards it for a short moment, and then beams again.</p><p>“Oh, perfect, darling. We can do a lot with that. Can you stand for me, darling? I want to make sure I have your dimensions just precisely.”</p><p>He makes a lot of flapping gestures, indicating Tali to stand. She does as she’s told, her body language hesitant and worried. For a brief moment, Shepard wonders if this is all too stressful for her, if Miranda shouldn’t have made her a bridesmaid after all, but that’s mean. Tali is one of her best and closest friends; has been on all the iterations of the Normandy. If she’s going to have to stand up there in a ballroom on the Citadel in front of literally trillions of people, she needs her squad, and she wants Tali to be on it.</p><p>“Perfect, darling, perfect. And spin?” the designer effervesces.</p><p>Tali turns slowly in a circle as he uses his omni-tool to scan her measurements precisely. Shepard hasn’t seen this kind of tech before. If Kaidan were here, he’d be geeking out, she’s sure of it.</p><p>“It’s the very latest thing, darling. The very latest thing. Nothing but the best for my ladies. And gentlemen. And all you lovely people in between, of course!”</p><p>Tali finishes her slow circle, and hesitates, not knowing what to do next. It’s almost as if she has regressed to the quieter, younger version of herself Shepard had known back on the SR1, not the strong, confident person she has been recently.</p><p>“All done, darling, please, you sit here and we’ll talk fabrics. I assume you’ll want the same as the other lovely ladies? What is that, silk charmeuse?”</p><p>“That’s it!” Lilac pipes up, beaming with pride at being even tangentially included.</p><p>“Not my favourite fabric, darling, not my favourite. Beautiful, of course, and it does flow nicely, so so nicely, of course. I just prefer working in the new technical fabrics. Synthetics are where it’s at, darlings. But for you?” He reaches out to Tali and taps her gently and warmly on the shoulder. “For you, darling, I will be happy to use it. Happy. Of course. The same red, of course, and we can easily embellish it with the same beautiful sparkles. So, fit and flare...”</p><p>He superimposes a shot of Tali herself over the quarian sketch on his datapad, and does something fancy with the software, transforming her into a perfect 3D sketch version of herself. His fingers trail across the interface, turning it this way and that.</p><p>“Really, the perfect silhouette for you, darling. Those <em>beautiful</em> hips. Now, I don’t do suits, darling, but the fabric?” He reaches out and touches the beautiful purple swirled fabric at her side. “This is a covering, yes?”</p><p>“Yes,” Tali confirms.</p><p>“And it’s replaceable, darling?”</p><p>Tali tilts her head a little, like the question hadn’t occurred to her. “Yes, with the correct tools.”</p><p>“Oh, yes, then we’re singing, darling. We’re singing.”</p><p>His pen moves quickly over the sketch, in swoops and curves, almost too fast for Shepard to track. When he notices her looking, he tilts the datapad away from her.</p><p>“Spoilers, darling, spoilers.”</p><p>He works in silence for a few minutes, drawing and erasing and drawing again; looking up at Tali quizzically and then drawing some more. He takes a careful look at the mannequin, then beams at Tali.</p><p>“Now, what do you think of this, darling?”</p><p>He twists the datapad towards her, and the other occupants of the room, Adora included, all crowd around the sofa to get a good look.</p><p>On the datapad is an image of Tali, in her enviro-suit, but with the purple swirled fabric replaced with ruby red swathes of silk. It starts by covering her head, a few dots representing sparkles sprinkled around the fall of fabric. Then it criss-crosses over the chest, imitating the v-neck of the other dress, hugging the tightness of her waist and hips, before flowing neatly around her legs and ending just above the floor. More fabric peeks out from her elbow joints and wrists, just as it does on her current suit. It’s a simple change, and yet…</p><p>“If the belts are functional instead of aesthetic, they can easily be added in, darling,” he adds, tapping the display to reveal a second version which includes the triple belt around her chest and the extra holster at her hips.</p><p>“That won’t be necessary,” Tali confirms, her voice brighter now.</p><p>“Then they’re gone, darling.” He taps the display again and the first image reappears. “Of course, I will have to reach out to some contacts of mine for the technical details… I have a friend with a friend in the former Quarian fleet. He manufactures the most <em>beautiful</em> enviro-suits. Now, how do we feel?”</p><p>Tali reaches out, stopping just shy of touching the display. Shepard knows that if she could see her face, she’d have a grin wide enough to rival the one currently on Adora’s overjoyed face.</p><p>“It’s lovely. The skirt is very impractical.”</p><p>“Fashion is impractical, darling,” the designer cuts in readily.</p><p>“Oh, yes,” Tali adds, her voice still bright. “I’ve never had anything… impractical. It will be quite the experience for me.”</p><p>She turns a little, reaching out to lay a hand on the designer’s shoulder.</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>“Oh, think nothing of it, darling. Think nothing of it. You’re going to be the belle of the ball.” He laughs, catching himself and turning towards Shepard. “Aside from the beautiful bride, of course. Absolutely <em>bellissima</em>, darling! Oh, if only I had been in the salon the day you were choosing your gown. But… of course, your turian friend had the most <em>exquisite</em> taste, I couldn’t have improved it, darling, I just couldn’t! Makes me half-inclined to try and poach him. You don’t suppose he’d be interested in an internship, darling?”</p><p>It takes Shepard a good ten seconds to work out that he’s not only asking a question, he’s asking a serious question that requires a serious answer.</p><p>She imagines that Garrus’ reaction if she did volunteer him into a life of making dresses would be unfavourable at best, and possibly result in a shot from the Thanix cannon if she caught him on a particularly bad day.</p><p>“No,” she responds firmly.</p><p>“Pity, darling, a great pity. He has such an eye. You know Kara is going to make an absolute fortune from the new design. She’s calling it the Shepard. Not the exact design, of course, darling. The sparkles are just going to be plain silver, none of your special ones, those are just for you. But I’ve already had my clients pining, <em>pining</em>, darling, to know what you’ve picked. But I haven’t told them, darling! No, it’s a select, select group. You’re going to be the very toast of the town, darling. The toast of the town. And your bridesmaids too!”</p><p>“Talking of the dress,” Adora interrupts.</p><p>“Oh!” Lilac says, beaming. “The fitting! Some of your guests haven’t seen the gown, have they?”</p><p>Before Shepard can say a word, Lilac dashes out of the room. She returns with yet another woman, a small, elderly one with white hair and a piercing gaze. It’s a little off-putting.</p><p>“If the bride would follow me,” she says, in a stern tone that brooks no argument.</p><p>Without a choice in the matter, she follows.</p><p>*</p><p>Being back in her wedding dress is somehow both as wonderful as she’d hoped, and as terrifying as it had been the first time. Half of her wants to call Kaidan again, for another stabilising pep talk, but he’s off-station doing something boring and diplomatic, and she doesn’t want to make him worry. She’s done the hard bit already, anyway.</p><p>The little old lady, who has informed her, in short, sharp words, that her name is Magda, does several complicated things with pins that make the dress lie even more snug and complimentary to her figure, while leaving said pins invisible to the naked eye. It may be some kind of witchcraft, but Shepard’s not complaining.</p><p>When Magda declares that she is ready, she leads her back into the showroom. This time most of her bridesmaids and associated guests are crammed onto the sofa together; the designer perched on the arm of the sofa by Jack, of all people, complimenting her on her ‘artistic flourish’. Shepard assumes he means the tattoos, and decides not to ask. The only person missing is Miranda, but, again, Shepard decides not to ask. She assumes it will all become clear soon enough.</p><p>“Introducing, the bride!” Lilac declares, a little late, as Shepard is already demonstrably in the room.</p><p>She steps up onto the runway, easily, without aid, which is again, one of the things she loves most about her dress.</p><p>There is a polite intake of breath from Kasumi who has, obviously, seen the dress before. Jack looks just a little dubious, and Tali is a blank slate as usual, until she turns around, showing them the fall of stars down her back.</p><p>Jack lets out a noise which, if it had come from anyone else’s mouth, Shepard would have described as a squeal. As it <em>is</em> Jack, however, and she doesn’t fancy being eviscerated with biotics, even if only inside her brain, she doesn’t.</p><p>Tali’s reaction, however, she feels perfectly free to call a squeal.</p><p>She completes her turn, coming back to face them.</p><p>Jack’s mouth is still wide open, but Shepard chooses (correctly) not to draw attention to it.</p><p>“What do you think?” she asks.</p><p>A smattering of effusive praise from the occupants of the sofa ensues, as expected. Then Lilac speaks again.</p><p>“And the bridesmaid!”</p><p>Miranda steps out in the chosen dress, without the correct sequins, of course. One of the camera-people gestures them both towards a mirror at the end of the runway.</p><p>Shepard turns, and catches sight of both herself and Miranda, standing side by side. The dresses look… good together. She didn’t realise that was a thing she was concerned about. In fact, she’s fairly sure she didn’t care <em>at all</em> about it until right now.</p><p>It’s just like the wedding dress all over again.</p><p>“So?” Lilac says, her face popping into the mirror behind them. “What do you say, Commander?”</p><p>She’s so distracted by the grin on Miranda’s face, that she almost misses it. Then Miranda puts her arm around Shepard’s waist, and gently turns her away from the mirrors, back towards the sofa where the rest of the women are looking on.</p><p>“Up to you, squad,” Shepard says to her bridesmaids. “You’re the ones who are going to have to wear them. Happy?”</p><p>Tali holds up the datapad with her sketch, coming to stand beside Miranda on the runway. Bex, not wanting to be left out even though she’s back in her jeans and hoodie, jumps up and joins them, standing on Shepard’s other side.</p><p>Then, as if they had choreographed it…</p><p>“We’re saying yes to the dresses!”</p>
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